Bands are commonly used in transmissions to act as a brake or clutch. A variety of band designs have been developed to maximize the surface contact of the band to the uneven surfaces defined by the drum about which the band is disposed and which it frictionally engages or to maximize such contact in the event the band is askew or cocked relative to the drum surface. One such band, as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,420 to Churchill, is bifurcated to provide a single slot that divides the band substantially along its entire length. The inner face of the band is lined wtih a friction material. The band has tie bars or brackets affixed to the band ends. The band strips while joined at the band ends grip better than an undivided band, and also allow oil to flow through the slot and into the cavity defined by the housing box. However, it has been discovered that in accordance with this invention a very effective wide band can be provided with two pair of aligned slots, and a whole located between the spaced ends of the slots, i.e., the band, is more integrally divided by the multiple slots as opposed to only one slot, and the hole facilitates alignment of the lining to the band. An alternative embodiment of the present invention incorporates said hole with two slots alone. Consequently, the band of this invention distributes the load better than previous bands.